Tag! You're it!
by KC-Chick
Summary: I hate graduation. I hate that Craig chose Manny. I hate that I'm letting it bother me. But what could I do? I mean, have you seen his smile? Ellie's POV. Post Season Finale. [Crellie][Complete]
1. Chapter 1

Title: Tag! You're it!

Author: KC-Chick

Summary: "I hate graduation. I hate that Craig chose Manny. I hate that I'm letting it bother me. But what could I do? I mean, have you seen his smile? Ellie's POV. Post Season Finale. Crellie"

Disclaimer: Not mine.

O.o

I hated graduation. I fucking hated it. Actually, I still hate it. I bet you could guess why...

Well for one, the whole thing was kind of depressing if you asked me. Leaving Degrassi? Not seeing these people everyday?

Wait, what am I saying? Not seeing Paige everyday might do me some good. But that's beside the point.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Graduation.

So, as I was saying, the whole ordeal was somewhat depressing. Except for my best friend finally coming back from her London adventure. That was great. But then having to smoosh poor Jimmy's heart just because Ash happened to get the wrong impression of who I was currently in love with, well, _that_ was depressing. I mean, I couldn't help that she didn't realize that I was talking about Craig.

Craig...of course _that's_ why I hate graduation. But it wasn't as much him, but more so it was his damn girlfriend. His damn girlfriend that he ditched out on every other afternoon because of our study sessions. Which mind you, we did nothing but study. And maybe get into tickle fights and flirt like crazy. But Manny doesn't need to know that.

And then what does he do? Well of course he catches my eye, cocks his head a bit, and smiles. He smiles the smile that made my heart melt every time I was with him.

But no...no one knew that, right? Well no one but Marco. But the important thing was that Ash didn't know. And that Manny didn't...and most importantly, that Craig didn't. But maybe now it didn't matter. Maybe now that school was over, it didn't matter who knew. It didn't matter if the whole fucking school knew. It didn't matter if the whole city of Toronto knew. Maybe this was my chance to tell him.

Ha, this is me, Ellie Nash we're talking about, remember? Do you honestly think _I_ would do that? I wasn't Manny Santos. I wasn't about to bare my entire soul to the boy I was in love with.

And now I sound like an emo song. Great.

So anyways, like I was saying, I hate graduation. I hate that Craig chose Manny. I hate that I'm letting it bother me. But what could I do? I mean, have you seen his smile?

Anyway, back to the story.

The smile he gave me disappeared as quickly as it had come, though. He made eye contact with Ashley, smiled again, and turned his attention back to his girlfriend. And I was left standing in my blue cap and gown with Ashley, wondering if it was completely obvious that I had been waiting for Craig to notice me the whole time.

After that, there was a graduation party at Marco's. I wasn't really in the best mood to celebrate. So, I hung around a bit and then I got bored of hearing Paige rant about Banting and I got bored of Toby trying to hit on me. But I guess the thing that really made me go home was that I couldn't keep staring at Craig. And I'm sure it was obvious. There he was talking about the whole music thing in Vancouver, one arm around Manny, the other moving frantically as he told this story and all I could do was stare. And then Manny noticed, interrupted Craig with this loud voice that brought me out of my daze, and shot me a look that said 'stop staring at my boyfriend or I'm going to go all marco-slut on you.' So I shot her a look back, and then turned around pretending to go to the snack table. Instead though, I walked past it and casually slipped out the door.

Night had fallen when I reached the outside. I decided to walk slowly. Why rush anything? I was out of there and walking slowly would definitely give me a chance to clear my head from all this Craig drama. I took a deep breath and started walking down the sidewalk.

So this was my situation: Craig was with Manny. And me? Well I pretty much wanted him. He was in Vancouver and I had no clue when he was coming back. But once he did, what then? That didn't change my first fact. Craig was with Manny. And if and when that was resolved? Then that left the little detail that Craig wasn't into me like that. I was just his best friend. Another one of the guys.

And who knows? What if I meet this great journalist intern over the summer and we fall madly in love and I forget all about fucking Craig Manning?

Ha, fat chance of that happening.

And so, here I am, in great contemplation of my situation when I get very rudely interrupted by...

"Nash! Hey, Ellie!"

I stop dead in my tracks. And recognize the voice immediately. It was him.

I turn around and see that by now, he's caught up with me.

"You didn't think I was going to let you get away that easy, did you?"

Shit. He knows.

"Manning, what are you talking about?" I nervously shoot back at him.

"You. Leaving like that. You didn't think I was going to let you leave without catching up with my favorite group buddy, did you?"

Group buddy. That's all I was to him?

"No, I guess not," I answer.

"So," Craig began, smiling. "How's life been? Is group going okay?"

"Life's been okay I guess. Just...different, you know?"

Duh Ellie, of course he didn't know. That's why he asked. God, I'm so stupid sometimes.

"So, you're okay?" he asks, not seeming to notice that my brain has left my head for the moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Wow, I'm great at this small talk thing. "How are you?"

"I'm doing pretty good. Vancouver sure knows how to treat a guy well."

"That's...great," I manage to stammer out. Even though it wasn't great. Even though Vancouver treating him well meant that he was going to stay. Meaning that he'd never come back to Toronto, that Manny would eventually move there and that --

"Yeah. I've missed home, though," he comments, interrupting my crazy thoughts.

"Home has missed you." I smile at him and he smiles back.

Then, he etches closer to me, still smiling. I let out a quick breath, nervous of what is about to happen next. It was really dark, so I couldn't really see our body positions but I knew we were getting closer because I could feel his breath on my face. I guess he decided against kissing me, though, because the next second his chin rested on my head and his arms were wrapped around my back, pulling me into a hug. Not just any hug, though. An amazing hug. A hug that I never wanted to end.

But it did, to my disappointment. He pulled back after what seemed like a while and smiled at me again.

"Mostly though, I've missed you, El."

I look up at him. "Really?" I ask, not really believing him. Because if I believed him, I'd have to allow all these feelings to resurface once again. All the feelings that I've tried to push all these months that he's been gone. All the months of seeing Manny sulk without him. And me secretly sulking even worse.

He meets my eyes. "Yeah. Really." He flicks my nose playfully and pulls me towards him again.

"Anyway, it's late," he says as he's holding me. "And I think I'll walk you home just to make sure no mass rapists suddenly jump you."

I laugh, and it feels like old times again. Before Vancouver. Before Manny.

"Well, I'm sure this whole black outfit would scare him right off."

Craig looks me up and down a little. "No, it would probably just make him want to more."

I stare at him, shocked.

"Craig Manning, are you talking dirty to me?" I ask, teasing.

"I might," he replies, shrugging. Then, before I have a chance to reply, let alone blink, he taps me on the shoulder, runs, and yells "Tag! You're it!"

I decide to take him up on this juvinilie challenge.

"No way, Manning!" I scream back at him and jolt into the darkness after him.

Maybe graduation wasn't so bad afterall.

o.O

A/N: One Shot? More? You choose. Review, please. And the characters? Have a done them justice? Be truthful...but please don't be harsh.


	2. Almost Spilling My Guts

Disclaimer: Not mine...I wish.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm so happy that I got such a good response to this story, especially since it's my first Degrassi fic and it's really nerve wracking to post in a new catagory for the first time because you can never predict what the response will be. And really, this was supposed to be a one-shot but, I'm continuing because it seems as though you guys want more. Thanks again!

O.o

No way was I going to let him win this. I mean, okay, it was just a childish game of tag and if it had been anyone else challenging me, I would have rolled my eyes and resumed my regular pace of walking. But it wasn't just anyone. It was Craig. And like I said, I was not about to let him win. I don't know why, but something about running into the darkness after him really intrigued me. Okay, fine, and the fact that he was incredibly attractive. And you can't tell me that if _your_ crush challenged you to a game of tag in the darkness that you wouldn't take them up on it.

So, where was I? Oh, right. The game.

I ran down the sidewalk after Craig. I could see the outline of his body in front of me, his shoulders within my grip. So I tapped him on the shoulder, yelled "Now who's it?", and ran in front of him, quickening my pace as I pierced through the darkness. I couldn't tell how far behind me he was, but I figured that I had at least some ground on him. Oh, how wrong I was.

The next second, I felt his arms wrap around my waist, pick me up, and swing me over his shoulder.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed in triumph, obviously happy that he had caught me.

"Craig! Put me down!" I said, playfully hitting his back so that he would put me down.

"No," he replied stubbornly. "I caught you, and this is my prize. I get to carry you home and there's nothing you can do about it."

"We never agreed on any prizes!"

"No, I guess we didn't. Oh well," he shrugged. I could practically see the satisfying smile that he had plastered on his face.

"Craig, I'm serious! Put me down!" I whined.

"Give me a good reason."

So I hung over his shoulder for a second or two and contemplated a good reason for him to put me down. But as I thought about it. I realized that I didn't _want_ him to put me down. But I had to say _something_. If I didn't, he might start to suspect something.

"Because...because if you don't put me down now, when you actually _do_ put me down, I'm going to kick your ass, Manning."

Okay, so I wasn't that great at coming up with good reasons. So sue me.

My comment however, did make him stop.

"Is that a challenge, Nash?" he inquired.

"Maybe," I replied.

And now, I had won. He put me down.

"Okay. C'mon El, kick my ass." He said that last bit really slowly, like he didn't believe that I would actually do it. And I stood there staring at him.

"Are you mocking me?" I asked, even though I knew that he was.

He cocked his head a bit before answering.

"Maybe I am. But it's only because you're so cute when you get all mad."

I raised my eyebrow. Cute? Did he just call me cute?

"Um, okay," I answered, not wanting to get too excited. Though, I do think I felt my stomach do that little flippy thing it did when I got that mixed feeling of nervousness and excitement.

"Anyway, about the challenge," he said, reminding me. "Are you going to or not, El?"

I gave him a 'Craig, you're not serious' look and he laughed, getting closer to me.

"Okay, if you're not going to then...tickle fight!"

I felt his hands at my sides, the place he knew I was most vulnerable. I let out a giggle and poked his sides, trying to get him to stop tickling me. He laughed out loud too, flashing that amazing smile at me. I stopped fighting him for a moment to catch my breath and as I did so, he did too. Looking into my eyes, he leaned his head to the side. But once again, I guess he decided against kissing me because I felt his breath on my ear.

"I think I won, Nash," he whispered.

He was right. He did win. But I wasn't about to let him know that.

"Uh huh. Whatever makes you feel better about yourself," I replied, smirking.

"God, I've missed you," he suddenly admitted. "I've missed you a lot."

I didn't know what to say to him. This wasn't what Craig should be saying. At least not to me. He should be at Marco's telling Manny this. Afterall, she was the one that he chose.

"And you haven't missed me," he exhaled after silence had taken over the atmosphere. He looked right at me, then looked away as he said, "And I'm an idiot."

"No," I began, then said more firmly, "No, Craig. You're not an idiot. I just...I've missed you too."

Relief seemed to overflow his face and he smiled at me again. I smiled back. This was becoming a _very_ weird night. And I didn't know what to do anymore. There we were standing on the sidewalk, Craig smiling at me, me smiling back and that's all I could seem to do. Stare at him and smile.

Suddenly though, I remembered why I was outside in the first place: I was walking home. And then he decided to walk me home. That's what we should be doing. We should be walking to my house, not standing here staring at each other.

"So...I should probably head home," I finally said, breaking the awkward silence that had set in.

It brought him out of the daze he seemed to be in because he suddenly said, "Yeah! You probably should. It's getting kind of late..." He shuffled his feet around a bit and looked up at me again. I smiled, (damn, I was doing that a lot this evening. Which was weird...because I hadn't smiled this much in _so_ long) and turned around, resuming the pace I had before Craig had interrupted me.

I didn't hear his footsteps following me so I stopped, turned around, and this time, _I_ cocked my head.

"What happened to making sure no mass rapists suddenly jumped me, huh?" I inquired. And then I laughed, realizing how ridiculous I sounded.

He seemed to agree with me because he started laughing too.

"I thought the outfit was supposed to 'scare him right off'."

"Well it was but...please?" I made the goofiest puppy face I could at him.

"Ellie Nash, do I sense that someone is grovling for my company this evening?"

Great, now I inflated his ego even more.

"Right, Craig. You caught me. Secretly, I'm madly in love with you and I'm just grovling to spend every waking moment with you." I crossed my arms and stared at him skeptically.

That was just on the outside, though. On the inside, I shocked myself at how true the statement I just made was. Well okay it wasn't true word for word. I wasn't madly in love, I was just...deeply infatuated. And I didn't want to spend _every_ waking moment with him...just..._most_ of them. I stood there staring at him, my arms still crossed, hoping that he wouldn't realize that I wasn't just kidding around.

Craig smirked back at me.

"Of course you are," he slowly replied. Shit. He knew. "Everybody is."

I let out a sigh of relief as I realized that he was joking.

"Yeah. Just keep telling yourself that, Manning," I retorted nervously. If we kept this going, I would eventually spill my guts and trust me, they really weren't that pretty.

"Don't worry, I will," he smugly replied.

I nodded my head at him and started walking towards home again, this time not really caring if he followed me or not.

After a few moments, I heard his feet shuffle behind me. He caught up with me and then slowed down his pace to meet mine. We walked down the sidewalk not saying anything. But every few moments we'd glance at each other and smile.

Oh yeah, grauduation was definitely getting better.

o.O

A/N: Good follow up? Bad? Tell me how it was. And again, characters? So should I end it here? More? Again, you choose. Review, please.


	3. Those Damn Salsa Chips

Disclaimer: Nope, _still_ not mine...

A/N: Again, thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! It really is what motivates me to update.

O.o

Craig was true to his word. He walked me home and made sure that no mass rapists suddenly jumped me.

Although...I think it was a highly unlikely thing that would have happened anyway, don't you? I mean really. Here, in Toronto, in _this _neighborhood? Right.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Craig Manning was walking me home.

So after our whole thing of him swinging me over his shoulder and the tickle fight and the me almost spilling my guts, we walked to my house. Mostly it was in silence, but every now and then we'd glance at each other, smile, and quickly look away. You know what I'm talking about, right? The whole thing where you sit in English class and you're too bored to actually pay attention so you gaze randomly around the room. And some guy across the room happens to be doing the same thing and you make random eye contact, smile, and look away. And then the rest of the class period is spent looking back at that person because you both assume that the other was staring at you. Yep, that game. And that's what we did the rest of the way home. Only, you know, a bit less awkward. Or maybe more awkward since there was only a limited amount of space in between us and you could practically smell the tension between us both.

That and well, _Craig Manning_ was walking me home. And my stomach was still doing that flippy thing even though I was consistantly trying to make it stop. Damn those salsa chips at Marco's...

Finally though, we got to my house. And when we did, I was praying that we wouldn't have to endure one of those awkward situations of standing in front of my door, not knowing what to do.

So, I walked down the sidewalk, Craig following next to me, and tried to find my keys in my bag. My hand dug through the fabric and all I felt was my wallet, iPod, and cell phone. My keys were no where to be found.

"Shit," I exclaimed into the darkness, finally breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in between Craig and me.

"What, Nash? Lost your keys, or something?" Craig inquired jokingly.

I turned around and glared at him.

"Actually, yes. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't just stand there with that goofy look on your face."

"What do you want _me_ to do?" he asked innocently.

I raised my eyebrows at him as if to say 'Craig, are you really that dense'? Apparently he was.

"Craig, help me look for them!"

"Ugh, fine," he retorted, as if it was _so_ hard to get down on the ground and help me look.

A few minutes passed and we didn't see my keys anywhere.

"I guess they're back at Marco's," Craig said.

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess I didn't grab them before I left."

That was weird, though, because I could have sworn that I threw them in my bag before slipping casually out the door.

"Well, then we'll just have to walk back to Marco's and get them."

I froze. I didn't want to go back to Marco's. Because going back to Marco's meant facing that whole awkward, embarassing situation of Manny inquiring where the hell Craig had been all this time. And if he told her then we'd have to explain why we were back. And then she probably wouldn't let Craig walk me back home after we retrieved them.

Note to self: Keep my damn keys with me at all times.

But I really had no other choice than to walk back to Marco's and get my keys.

So I started walking back with Craig, dreading of what would happen once we reached our destination.

O.O

Craig and I walked back to Marco's house mostly in silence once again, making some small talk here and there. Mostly though, I was not anticipating walking back into that room filled with our former classmates.

But the moment came. We made it to Marco's fairly quickly and slipped in the door quietly.

Thankfully, everyone's backs were turned as we made our way in and no one noticed us in the back of the room. I looked around trying to spot my keys. Finally, after a few moments of no luck, I noticed that they were lying comfortably next to the chip bowl. Those damn salsa chips...why had they looked so inviting when I first walked into the party? If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be in this whole mess.

Wait, actually, if I wasn't still in love with Craig I wouldn't be in this whole mess but that's not the point.

The point is, I found my keys and now we could just slip out the door again and walk back to my house.

Ha, fat chance.

Unfortunately for me, Marco had noticed me standing there.

"El! There you are! Where've you been?" he questioned suspiciously.

Shit. How was I suppose to answer that? 'Craig and I have been walking home together for the past 45 minutes while in the mean time having tickle fights that slowed us down.' That definitely would _not_ go over very well so I had to think up a lie.

"I was just walking home and when I got there, I realized that I didn't have my keys. You know me, Marco, always forgetting things."

Okay, that lie sucked. First, because Marco knows me the best and he knows I'm a bad liar and second, he knows I am _not_ forgetful.

He gave me a 'I know you're up to something and you're going to spill when there's not a crowd full of people in the room' look and said, "Yeah, okay El. Whatever."

Marco turned back to the crowd who somehow still hadn't noticed us and I couldn't believe that I was off the hook. I let out a sigh of relief and turned to Craig, motioned that I had found my keys and just as I thought we were home free...

"Craig! Babe, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!"

We weren't.

I turned around and saw Manny strutting her way over to Craig, then wrapping her nasty arms around him that have been God knows where, and then kissing him right there. Right there in front of me as to say 'Duh Ellie, you're so stupid for even trying. Craig is _my _boyfriend.' And suddenly, I found myself running past the PDA obsessed couple and out the door.

As I made my way outside I couldn't help but to think that it was all because of those damn salsa chips.

o.O

A/N: Review, please! Characters, storyline, all that. Let me know what ya thought.


	4. Sick of Playing Games

Disclaimer: Not mine

A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reading.

O.o

I'm back where I started. I hated gradution. I hated it, and I was pissed.

I was pissed that Manny kissed Craig right in front of me like that.

I was pissed that Craig had followed me out the door earlier.

Mostly though, I was pissed at myself. I was supposed to be _over_ Craig Manning.

All of this passed through my mind as I pulled out my iPod, stuck the headphones in my ears, and blasted an angry, bitter song. Maybe that would make me feel better.

I started walking down the sidewalk again, this time concentrating on nothing but the lyrics in my head.

"Ellie! El, wait up!"

Somehow though, I still managed to hear Craig's voice calling behind me. Damn it, I hadn't turned it up loud enough. This time though, I would let him keep calling. I wasn't going to turn around. No. I wasn't going to give in.

"Damn it, Ellie! Stop walking and wait!"

Suddenly, I turn around, facing him. It caught him off gaurd because he took a step back as if he was afraid I was going to slap him or something.

"Why, Craig? Why the fuck should I wait, huh?" I screamed back at him. My own voice surprised me. I didn't want to scream. I didn't want to give him a reaction. But here I was. What happened to my plan of not turning around?

He seemed really taken aback by my sudden burst of anger. I didn't blame him.

"Because...because you just randomly ran out! What the hell was that about?"

What was it about? Was he honestly asking me that?

"Like you don't know." I was sick of playing this game with him.

"No, actually, I don't. Enlighten me, Ellie."

I glared at him, hating the way he was talking to me. I wanted him to yell at me, get mad, _something_. But no. He was just standing there, looking at me with pleading eyes.

"I...just..." My voice was caught inside my throat. I was so used to playing this with him that now that he wanted me to be completely honest, I didn't know what to do.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" I said, finally finding my voice.

"Sorry?" he questioned, apparently confused. "Why are you sorry?"

"For running out like that. For screaming at you. For--" Luckily I caught myself before the rest of that sentence came out. My response though, made him even more confused.

"What was that last one?"

"Um, nothing. It was nothing." Shit.

"Ellie, you've always been a bad liar."

Damn him being my best friend. He always knew when I was lying.

"How do you know I'm lying?" I guess I was going to keep playing a bit longer. But then again, I was a bit curious.

"Because, you're doing that thing with your hands," he pointed out, calmly.

I suddenly got very self concious and looked down at my hands. My right hand was pulling at those damn rubber bands they had given me in therapy to stop cutting. _I_ didn't even notice that I did that when I lied.

"You also do the same thing when you're uncomfortable, or don't know what to say."

"No I don't," I shot bac at him, glaring.

"Yes, Ellie. You do," he replied, taking a step closer to me.

"How would you know?" I kept a bitter tone in my voice, not wanting to let him in.

"Because, El, I know you. I know what your favorite color is. I know that you're afraid of the dark really late at night, and why you started playing drums. And I know that right now, you're scared. Because now you've gone from doing that thing with your hands to crossing your arms in a protective sort of way." He took another step towards me and put his hands on my shoulders.

I stood there not knowing what to say. Keeping my arms where they were, I looked away from him. He was really close to me now and if I kept looking into his eyes, I might just start crying. Because he was right. He did know me. And I knew him. And that's why I thought we would have worked. But he didn't choose me. He didn't want me. And I couldn't bear to look at him knowing that.

"Ellie, look at me."

I shook my head. Tears were staring to well up in my eyes and it was proving really hard to keep them in.

"Ellie, look at me," he said again but this time, I felt his finger underneath my chin, bringing my face up to his. I could feel the tears just ready to fall if I blinked, so I tried my hardest not to. The next thing I knew, Craig's lips were on mine. I closed my eyes and the tears spilled down my face, some getting on his cheeks. Parting my mouth a bit I felt his tongue slither inside. I got caught in the moment and kissed him back but as I did, I suddenly realized what we were doing and pushed him off.

"Craig, we--" I began.

"No, it's okay," he said, cutting me off.

"But, Manny--"

"No, I'm not with her anymore."

His statement shocked me.

"What?" I coudln't believe what I was hearing.

"We broke up. Well, I broke up with her."

"But, you two were completely lovey dovey in there," I pointed out.

"Yeah. But that was all for show. I came back not only for graduation, but to break up with Manny in person. And we didn't want to tell anyone. Or, rather, I didn't want to tell anyone because I didn't want to bring any drama tonight," he explained.

"But she was just macking on you like you _are_ together."

"Yeah, but that's only because of the reason I did break it off."

Now I was confused. What the hell was he talking about?

"That being?"

He looked down at the ground for a moment and swept his hand through his hair.

"You, Ellie. I broke up with her because of you."

My mouth dropped to the floor. Okay, not literally because that would defy the laws of science but, you get what I mean.

"Me? Why, me?"

He smiled at me.

"Because, while I was in Vancouver, recording, doing press, all that music stuff, I wasn't thinking about Manny, or Jimmy, or Marco, or God knows who else. No. The only person I could think about was that red headed girl back in Toronto. Ellie Nash. And that's when I knew, I shouldn't be with Manny. I should be with the girl who's laugh I know from miles away. The girl who spent every afternoon with me trying to get me to study for exams. The girl who understood me like no one else did. You, Ellie."

I smiled, not knowing how to react to his words. Thankfully though, I didn't have to because Craig just wiped my tears away and said, "And El?"

"Yeah?"

"I so won that game of tag."

I smiled. "Yeah, I guess you did."

"And so, I get to choose my prize." He then looked into my eyes and kissed me. Slowly and softly at first, and then making it more passionate.

I pulled away after a few moments and whispered, "Bet ya can't catch me again."

He smiled at me in that Craig-smirk-ish sort of way and said, "Ellie, you've got five seconds to run."

I ran into the darkness laughing, knowing he would catch me, and definitely wanting him to.

In the end, graduation really wasn't so bad.

And in case you were wondering, when he did catch me, he swung me over his shoulder and this time, I let him carry me home.

o.O

A/N: And that's it folks! My first Degrassi fic over. How'd I do? And I might write a sequel...or another Crellie...keep on the lookout! Thanks for reading...so now, please review!


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